Chunin Exams
by happywanderer2
Summary: One might think that chunin exams that did not involve an invasion should have been easy for Gaara and Kankuro, but one would be wrong.  More plots make things just as dangerous, and Gaara and Kankuro have an unexpected addition to their team.
1. Practice Makes Perfect

Another story in the style of Hero's Mask. One might think that chunin exams that did not involve an invasion should have been easy for Gaara and Kankuro, but one would be wrong. More plots against Konoha and Suna make things just as dangerous, and Gaara and Kankuro have an unexpected addition to their team. Rated at T for violence and swearing; I cannot write the puppet master without it. Most of Kankuro's audience and some of the bad guys are mine, the rest belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

One-Practice Makes Perfect

Karasu rose into the air, joints clacking and whirring. His upper arms extended forward to fire needles while his lower arms stretched outwards, gears shifting in preparation for separation. The puppet hovered a moment and then his arms jerked. Gears ground. Karasu's entire body twitched once and crashed to the ground.

Hajime stared at the puppet in dismay. It had been going so well. He tightened his shoulders, bracing himself for what would come next.

His sensei did not disappoint. "Damn it, Hajime! What are trying to do, strip all his gears?" Kankuro smacked himself between the eyes in frustration. "Damn!"

Hajime kept his eyes on Karasu's limp, tangled form and muttered an apology.

"Don't apologize. Just get it right, damn it! You're fighting with the chakra stream. Concentrate on guiding it instead of controlling it and it's easy."

Easy for you to say, Hajime thought, you're the puppet master. It's all easy for you.

He sighed and his eyes drifted across the room to where the others were practicing. One of Hajime's genin team mates and a chunin were sparring with Miri. As he watched, the tall swordswoman slipped inside the chunin's guard, bringing the butt of her sword hilt down squarely on his forehead protector. The chunin's eyes glazed over and his sword slipped from his fingers. Miri grabbed him by the front of his shirt, twisted, and the next thing Hajime knew, she had tossed him right at the genin. The younger shinobi had been launching an attack at Miri's back, but upon seeing the chunin flying at her upraised sword, she panicked. She dropped her sword and put her hands up, trying to catch the chunin. They both ended up tangled together on the floor.

Kankuro saw him look over. "And don't blame them for distracting you. Do you think it's going to be quiet in a battle?"

"No sensei," Hajime murmured.

"You're damn right it's not! Look!" Kankuro's index finger twitched and Karasu snapped upright. "The top arms fire first to distract the opponent, then detach the second set and send them in a flanking maneuver."

The puppet performed flawlessly, needles hitting the centre of the targets, all its motions crisp and precise. Hajime felt his spirits sink further.

One finger, he thought, he does it with just one. I'm never going to get it right. What was I thinking?

Maybe it would be better if he took up the sword instead. Miri was much easier on his team mate, Tara. He watched Tara get up, bloody nose pinched between her fingers. The chunin was getting up too, but he still looked all wobbly.

Well, maybe not easier, he thought, but she is nicer.

"Do you need a moment, Jo?" Miri asked the chunin.

"No." He pushed his fingers under his forehead protector and rubbed the rising lump. "I'll be fine. Are you okay Tara?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

Jo shrugged. "Not your fault. I shouldn't have let her inside my guard."

"Quite correct," Miri said. "What else went wrong?"

Tara and Jo looked at each other and then shrugged. "We weren't good enough, I guess," Tara said.

Miri opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud snort.

"You two are idiots." Kankuro had been listening. "What went wrong was: you didn't think." He pointed at Jo. "You jumped in to take her on, one-on-one, the second you had an opening. And you," his finger swiveled to Tara. "What went through your mind when she turned her back on you?"

"Well…that I had an opening while she was distracted."

"Distracted? Do you think that someone with her skill would be distracted so easily?"

"It is a valid tactic," Miri said. "However…"

Kankuro snorted again. "Idiots! That's what she wanted you to do and you didn't even realize it. You weren't working together and look what happened. Next time, attack her flank, on your partner's weak side. That will put you two side by side at the end so you are ready for the next attack. And if you intend to distract her, then do so. Feint, make her move, get her off balance. That's how you distract someone. We put you guys in teams for a reason. Team. Work." He tapped his forehead. "This is your best weapon, use it first before you charge in like the idiots you are." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the smirk on Miri's face. "What?"

"Nothing." She brought her hand up to her mouth. "Sa-_cough_-sori."

Kankuro glared at her and hoped his blush did not show through his face paint. However, Miri appeared not to see the daggers he was glaring at her. Instead she was greeting a newcomer. It was Hajime's other team mate, Sano. He had been practicing with Gaara.

Hajime grimaced. Training with Kankuro could be rough, but he could not imagine having to train with the Kazekage. Sano was covered in sand and had fresh scrapes on his face and knuckles.

"Gaara-sama said to spend the mid-day rest period here with you guys. Is that okay?"

They had been practicing in the large hall on the edge of the village where Ebizo lived. The building was always cool, so it was a nice place to train and an even better place to go to escape the mid-day heat. It had once been the puppeteer's guild hall, and then Ebizo had lived there alone with his sister until she died saving Gaara. After Ebizo had taken Kankuro as his student, Kankuro had trained there and used it as a workshop for his larger puppets.

"Humph, yeah, might as well," Kankuro grumbled. He knew taking on students was part of being a jounin, but some days he almost wished that he could go back to being a chunin just to avoid having to deal with them.

Brats, he thought, and mostly useless. And they always seem to end up here, just hanging around.

When he had become Ebizo's student it had just been the two of them, until Miri had come along. Kankuro had to grin a little at the memory; he would train with Ebizo and spend time with her, exploring the numerous rooms in the former guild hall. He sat down and picked up a puppet limb, intending to tinker while they rested.

Sano sat down, Tara and Hajime joined him.

"What did you practice today?" she asked Sano.

"Digging my way out of sand," he replied. His shoulders slumped as he remembered. "What about you guys?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that." Tara waved a hand in the air. "Hajime has almost figured out how to detach Karasu's arms.

"Almost?" Sano cocked an eyebrow at his team mate.

"Yeah, right. Almost." Hajime slouched down too.

"Yeah! C'mon Hajime, you'll get it soon. I can tell."

Tara punched him in the shoulder and Hajime winced. She had taken some hand-to-hand training from Haruno Sakura and now even her playful punches hurt.

"We'll be awesome," she continued. "The best genin team ever, with me as your medic and short range specialist, Hajime at mid-range, and Sano at long range." Next she punched Sano. "You're the clever one, you should think of a name for us. We need a cool name so we can announce ourselves at the chunin exams."

"Ouch! Tara, cut that out! We need to qualify first, before we can think about silly stuff like that."

"That's damn right. And you three are a long way from qualifying, let alone passing," Kankuro said.

Hajime and Sano exchanged despairing glances, Kankuro was right. Tara, however, was not so easily discouraged.

"Oh, Kankuro-sensei, you know we're good, we've got the best teachers of everyone, after all. Our team beats the others all the time in practice matches and if we weren't good then you wouldn't have told Nara-san that we could kick the asses of any Konoha genin. Right?"

Kankuro scowled at the girl. He _had_ told Shikamaru that and he believed it, but it was not something they should know about. The compliment would go straight to their idiot heads.

"Who the hell told you that?" He glared at Miri.

"Please stop making that face at me. When you told Shikamaru, you were talking so loudly that half the village heard. Little wonder it got back to them."

"Okay, that _is_ what I think, but that is not going to be enough to get you through the chunin exams, you face more than just other genin, you know. Chunin testing grounds are unpredictable and dangerous, even for an experienced shinobi." Kankuro pointed at Tara. "You are too cocky and impatient. Sano, you still need to get your control fine-tuned, you're always on the verge of taking your own team mates out. And you," his finger swiveled to Hajime, "you still have to learn how to use a composite puppet like Karasu and you get distracted too easily."

"Yes, sensei," Hajime murmured. Kankuro was right; he was a very long way from being ready.

Tara grumbled something, not convinced.

"Patience Tara," Miri said. "You three are young, you have time."

"Young? I'm almost twelve and so's Hajime and Sano's almost thirteen. Sensei, you were a chunin by thirteen and you were younger than us the first time you went. And Temari-san passed when she was our age."

Sano nudged her. Tara could be so brainless sometimes. The subject of _those_ chunin exams was a touchy one; the failed invasion, Gaara's defeat by Uzumaki Naruto, and worst of all, how an Aburame had beaten Kankuro. He could see that their sensei had that look on his face, the one he got when anyone mentioned those days. It was always best to drop the subject when he looked like that.

"Tara, just let it go," he murmured.

"Those were different times Tara," Jo said. "Now we can afford to take the time and make sure that our genin are ready. We just want to be sure you make it through alive."

"How old were you?"

"I was twelve the first time I went. It took me three tries to pass and I had to spend two weeks in the hospital after I did. Almost no one passes the first time around."

"I understand that three attempts are about average." Miri flopped down at the edge of the small reflective pool across from Ebizo.

The old man was sitting with his fishing pole, eyes closed, apparently oblivious to everything around him. Miri poked one finger into the water and flicked a little at the fishing line. Ebizo snorted, but did not open his eyes.

"There are some skilled shinobi out there who took even more than that," she continued. "Four attempts for Matsuri for example."

"Seven for Naruto, the written exam tripped him up a bunch of times." Kankuro shook his head and snorted. "Like I said, it takes brains as well as power."

"How many tries for you, Kankuro?" Miri asked.

Kankuro narrowed his eyes at her, not fooled by her innocent tone. "That was different, I was ordered to fail as part of a mission."

"Temari was on the same mission, was she not? And she passed."

Kankuro glowered and the puppet limb in his hands moved, the hand springing upright to show Miri its middle finger. Then the wrist twisted. Hajime heard the needles launch, but did not see them. He did not see Miri move either, but he heard her sword ring as it left its scabbard. The needles pinged off the blade, deflected back at Kankuro. Karasu's body sprang into the air and the needles hit his body in a tight group in the middle of his chest.

"Karasu makes an excellent pin cushion."

Kankuro snorted and got to his feet. Miri had resheathed her sword and was standing with her hands at her sides, but Kankuro knew that she was more than ready for anything he could throw at her.

"Disrespectful and careless, that is what you two are." Ebizo was awake. "You have disrupted my meditation with your foolishness. And…" he brandished his fishing pole at Miri. It had a needle sticking in it. "You have damaged my property with your tom foolery. It is my favorite." He paused to stare at it mournfully and then jabbed a bony finger at them. "What the Kazekage was thinking when he put you two in charge of their education, I'll never know."

"Oopsie. Sorry Ebizo-jii-sama."

"Hey, he asked you if you wanted to help and you said no," Kankuro said. "If you don't like my methods, then do something about it. Something other than whining."

They glared at each other for a few moments before a large and evil grin spread across Kankuro's face. "And how many times did _you_ attempt the exam, Ebizo-jii-sama?"

"Well…I…never…" Ebizo sputtered. "Impudence! It never changes! Why I took you on as a student I will never know!"

"My amazing talent of course."

Ebizo's eyebrows continued to twitch in irritation for a few moments, and then he collected himself and sniffed. "There is no denying that, but as you pointed out, it takes more than power. Perhaps you could demonstrate that fact to your students by telling them of your next trip to the chunin exams."

"Oh, yeah, cool! Tell us Kankuro-sensei. I'll bet you won the whole thing, right?" Tara said.

Kankuro growled, "This is not some damn story time."

"But we're on our break," Tara said. "That's as good a time as any."

"No!"

"But…"

"Tara, cut it out!" Sano said.

"That is a splendid idea, Ebizo-jii-sama." Miri sat down beside the pool again. "It is fine Kankuro, do not tell them. I will."

"What? It was five whole years before you came along. How the hell do you know anything about it?"

"Sakura told me. Feel free to listen in. It will be interesting to see how her version of events compares with your own recollection."

"Don't. If you do, I'll…"

"You will what? Threaten me all you like, Kankuro." Miri nodded in the direction of the genin. "But just look at them, the seed of curiosity has been planted. If you do not tell them, they will just ask some one else. Baki-san perhaps…or maybe Temari."

"Don't give them fucking ideas!" Kankuro threw his arms out in exasperation. "Damn, Miri you're evil."

"Me? Not generally." She tapped her temple. "I do have this little voice in my head though and _she_ does enjoy raising hell."

"Well, tell your little demon to shut the hell up and listen, because I'm only going to do this once." Kankuro sat down. He glared at his students and Jo. "And if I hear any snickers, snorts, or snide remarks someone is going to get an up close and personal view of Kuroari's inner workings. Is that clear?"

"Yes sensei!" Everyone said in chorus.

"Yeah, right." Kankuro ran his hand through his hair. "Right, so after _that_… Damn, where the hell should I start?"

"Try this: once upon a time there was a cute little genin and his puppets…"

"Don't call me cute! Just. Do. Not."


	2. Educating Gaara

Two-Educating Gaara

Someone rapped on the frame of the door to Baki's office. It was a snappy rap, a cocky rap, and if the chakra signatures had not given it away, Baki would have known who it was by the tone of that knock.

"Kankuro, Gaara, what can I do for you?" he asked as he glanced up from his paperwork.

A moment later he shifted his attention away from the never diminishing pile, alerted by the look on Kankuro's face.

Kankuro was grinning. That in itself was nothing unusual, Kankuro grinned a lot. He had several variations to his grin and Baki was familiar with them all. The one on his face at the moment was a recent addition to his collection of grins; it was wide, carefree, and mischievous. And it meant trouble.

Much had changed since the disastrous attempt to destroy the Leaf village, and Baki felt that most of the change was for the better. The aftermath of the invasion had forced the village council to work together. The treaty with the Leaf village had restored peace, stability, and allowed the village to remain independent of the daimyo. And then, of course, there was Gaara. Baki had been astounded by the impact of the battle with Uzumaki Naruto on his youngest student. The difference was not apparent to most, Gaara still presented an emotionless exterior, he still struggled to control the one-tailed demon, and his chakra signature was still strong enough to terrify most civilians. But to those who knew him best, things had changed immensely.

Baki was still adjusting to the new dynamic among the Sand Siblings. Temari had previously viewed her little brother with a complicated mix of fear, guilt, concern, and love. Now she fussed and worried over him much like any big sister. Things had been more straight forward with Kankuro; he had simply hated Gaara. But now…

"Yeah, Baki, so Gaara has a question he'd like to ask. A bunch of questions actually. You know we were at the library, right? And he asked Keiko-san, but she thought we should ask you instead." Kankuro's grin widened. "Ya know, about the stuff in that book you took away from me."

Baki set his pen down, keeping careful control over his body language and expression. He could guess where the conversation was about to go, but he would not give Kankuro the satisfaction of seeing any hint of his dismay. Over the years Baki had served as a substitute parent and teacher for the Sand Siblings, he had come to dread the parenting side of their education, especially when it came to Kankuro.

"I remember it. And I remember issuing a punishment. Have you done as you were told?"

The blunt reminder did not diminish Kankuro's grin one bit. "Yeah, yeah. I apologized to Keiko-san and the training hall's as clean as it's been in years. So that's all good. But Gaara here needs to have his questions answered. It's important stuff that all shinobi should know. So can you help him out, Baki-_sensei_?"

The youngest Sand Sibling did look puzzled, but it was not clear if his confusion was due to the fact he did have some questions or was perplexed by Kankuro's behavior. Baki glanced down at the letter he had been reading. It might actually be an appropriate time to discuss the subject, given the task he was considering for the brothers.

Baki looked at Gaara. "What is it that you would like to know, Gaara?"

"I cannot figure it out and no one will tell me," Gaara said. "Why was it so bad for Kankuro to have that book? It upset Temari, you, and even Keiko-san. Normally she's very happy to see him reading."

Gaara's forehead creased into a frown. The hard lessons that had started during his fight with Uzumaki Naruto had continued upon his return home. Learning to interact with others was slow and puzzling work and Kankuro presented one of the greater puzzles. The more Gaara learned about his brother the more confused he became. On one hand, there was the Kankuro who was loud, brash, and used strange techniques. His brother would spend hours in his work shop, tinkering with his puppets and yelling at anyone who bothered him. Then there was another Kankuro, who would spend hours in the library, his nose buried in a wide variety of books, politely asking Keiko the librarian for help when he needed something. And finally, there was the Kankuro whom Gaara was only starting to appreciate; the fierce shinobi who would fight to protect his village, just as Gaara had vowed to do.

It occurred to Gaara that he might be seeing yet another side of Kankuro, and that his brother's interest in the matter might be motivated by something other than concern for his younger brother.

"That is normally the case," Baki said. "Keiko-san is always pleased when anyone makes use of the village's library. However, as I said before, that particular book was not appropriate for someone Kankuro's age."

"He gets that Baki," Kankuro said. "But he wants to know _why_ exactly."

Baki's eyebrow lifted. "Is this true Gaara?"

Gaara looked at Kankuro, his brother nodded in encouragement. "Go on Gaara."

Gaara nodded.

"See. There you have it. He really wants to hear it. You know. _The_ _Talk_. From you."

Baki would not have thought it possible, but Kankuro's grin got even wider. He opened his mouth to start the dreaded lecture, but then something occurred to him, and a few moments later he had a plan. It might be a little hard on Keiko, but Baki was sure that she would not be too offended.

"That's not a bad idea Kankuro," Baki said. "It is an area of his education that has been neglected due to his…circumstances. Thank-you for reminding me of my responsibilities."

The grin slipped a fraction. Baki could almost hear Kankuro's brain whirring as he tried to figure out what his teacher was doing. The jounin paused to let the moment lengthen and straightened a few items on his desk and flicked away dust particles.

"It is also true that you may be a little young yet Gaara, but I think that it might be to your benefit to learn these things. It might help improve your understanding of people, how they interact, and what behaviors are appropriate."

Gaara continued to look confused, but he waited for Baki to finish. The jounin gestured to the pile of paperwork on his desk. "Also, as it happens you have an upcoming task, and you might benefit from these discussions before you go."

"Task? Do you mean a mission?" Kankuro said. He wrinkled his nose. "What the hell kind of…" he saw the look on Baki's face. "Er, how would _that_ help in a mission?"

"No, it is not what you are thinking, Kankuro," Baki said. "I will expect you to be on your best behavior over the next few weeks, and I would like you to begin to take on a more active role in Gaara's training in preparation for the task." Baki allowed one side of his mouth to curl up into a small smile when he saw the look of dismay on Kankuro's face when he realized what Baki was about to do.

"No way! That sort of stuff's your job. How the hell am I supposed to…?" Kankuro grimaced.

"Teaching others is also the job of a shinobi. I think that this provides you with an excellent opportunity to practice your teaching skills, Kankuro." Baki started to grin; he just could not help it. "And I already know that it is a subject near and dear to your heart."

"Well yeah, but…I mean…" Kankuro paused, trying to come up with a good argument against the idea. Imagining the questions that Gaara might ask, face expressionless and eyes unblinking, gave Kankuro the creeps (not that he would _ever_ admit it out loud). He was pretty sure that Baki would not want him using the _Icha Icha _series as teaching aids, so he tried to use that as a tactic.

"Well, yeah," he repeated. "Who wouldn't be interested, but _that's_ not the sort of stuff you do not want him to learn. Right?"

"If you are referring to the material I confiscated last week, you are correct, there are many more appropriate texts and those are what you will use. I will let Keiko-san know that you will be visiting her. She will help you assemble what you need." Baki leveled his gaze at Kankuro. "And she will monitor you progress."

"What? But that's…" Kankuro made a face. This had not gone anywhere close to what he had planned. "Crap."

Gaara made a noise. "I don't want to cause any difficulty. I don't want to impose on Kankuro. There is no need. This is not something you need to do."

Kankuro sighed and let his shoulders slump. "Yeah Gaara, it is. Crap." He sighed again and looked at Baki. "Alright, alright, I get it. It was wrong of me to use him to mess with you."

"Well then, it appears that the lessons have already started," Baki said.

-0000-

Baki's sister lived in a small house not too far from the Suna administration building. It always amazed him how her house was always devoid of the sand that was a fixture in just about every other place in the village. However she managed it, Baki was always grateful to be able to visit her for a refreshing break during a hectic day.

"Baki this is lovely. Thank you again for this kind gift." Keiko lifted her tea cup and inhaled the scent of the copper coloured liquid. "Capital of Heaven, just splendid." She glanced at the woman beside her. "I know you prefer green tea, but thank you so much for letting me enjoy this in your lovely home."

Baki's sister sipped from her own cup. She set it back down, her movements graceful and precise. She inclined her head to acknowledge Keiko's compliment. The look she gave her brother, however, was less than warm.

"It is the least he could do given the position you were in. I do not know what my younger brother was thinking to send those children_…those boys_ to you."

Baki tried not to flinch under the force of his sister's stare. It had been a long time since the kunoichi known as Wind Dancer had used her skills and her beautifully lethal fans in active service, but her gaze, her mind, and her tongue were as sharp as ever.

"It was no imposition at all. Please." Keiko waved one hand to dismiss her friend's concern. "That is my job after all, to help those seeking knowledge…of all sorts. And I am pleased to see the progress that young Gaara is making…and Kankuro too."

Baki sampled his own cup of tea. He might not be able to taste whatever it was that made the tea so outrageously expensive, but it was well worth the cost of Keiko's help. During the more active part of her career, Keiko had been a master of genjutsu and an expert on seals. Now she worked as a librarian and guardian of Suna's knowledge. Her love for the ordered quiet of the library seemed a contradiction to her affection for the loud genin and his puppets. Baki could not understand it, but he was grateful for the attention she gave the boy.

"They are progressing through the material quite well. Kankuro can be an effective teacher when he sets his mind to it. But, of course," Keiko smiled at Baki, "he has learned from the best."

Baki made a polite denial. "I am afraid that most of the time I have little effect on them. Temari's progress is due to my sister's efforts, Kankuro only really listens to you and Gaara…well…his inspiration lies elsewhere."

"You should not underestimate the impact you've had. You have been one of the few constants in their young lives, and have provided a solid foundation for their growth." Keiko sipped her tea and set the cup down. "They are nearing the end of this particular lesson, in case you were wondering if it would be done in time for the exams."

Baki blinked in surprise. "Er, Keiko-san…how do you know about that? That information is classified."

"Oh dear I suppose it is. I saw the message and it was the new encryption and seemed like it might be challenging, so I just…"

Baki's sister laughed, a soft sound, mostly hidden behind a sleeve, but Baki could tell from the look in her eyes that she was quite amused.

"Yes, of course it was. You had no real interest in the content, just the challenge of solving a puzzle. You never change, Keiko," she said.

The librarian looked sheepish, but only a little. "I do apologize Baki, but it is these little challenges that keep the mind young. If it will put your mind at ease, my security clearance is still current."

"I have no concerns about you, Keiko-san." Baki frowned. "Do I need to adjust our security protocols?"

"Hmm, maybe a little fine tuning here and there, but on the whole I was impressed." The librarian shook her head. "Things have changed so much. Time was, we only broke Leaf codes, and now we share coded messages with them. And these upcoming chunin exams… I just hope that this will not create extra problems for Gaara. He will have a difficult time even without an unfamiliar team mate. I never would have thought that Tsunade-sama would agree to such a thing. It's…"

"Absurd," Baki's sister finished, all amusement draining from her face. "I cannot believe that I have lived long enough to see such a thing."

"Hmm, that's not the adjective I might have chosen, but…" Keiko saw the look on Baki's face. "Oh, yes I told her about it. I suppose I shouldn't have, but it is such an intriguing idea, and she knows more about the kunoichi in question." Keiko took another sip of tea, considering the strengths and weakness of the new team. "I think it is a good idea. She is one of the few people who can see Gaara the way Kankuro does."

Baki was surprised. Very few people had been supportive of the proposed Leaf-Sand team that would compete in the upcoming exams.

"You look surprised." Keiko said.

"Well, it is a large break from tradition, and it's the Leaf…"

"Who are now our allies and, as you know, clinging stubbornly to tradition almost destroyed this village." Keiko gazed into her tea a moment. "I can't see how it will all play out, but at a minimum I am sure it will be a learning experience for all concerned."

-0000-

The fifth Hokage of the Leaf village considered the jounin in front of her. Gai stood at rigid twitchy attention. Kurenai stood beside him, composed and calm. Asuma stood beside her, hands in pockets, trying not to let anyone see his wandering gaze. Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the empty spot beside Asuma. She leaned back and began to tap her index finger on her desk.

"If he's not here in the next minute…"

"Yo, sorry I'm late." Kakashi appeared at a window, dropping a lazy salute with one hand while folding his book closed with the other.

Tsunade growled, "I'm sure you're not. Now, get into place and let's get on with it. We need to get the paperwork started."

Kakashi sauntered into his spot in the line. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really sure why I'm here. With Sasuke and Naruto gone…"

"I'll get to you in a moment," Tsunade interrupted. "Kurenai, what about your team? Are they ready?"

"Not at this time. Shino's family has called him back to their compound for specialized training and while Hinata's confidence is improving greatly she just isn't ready yet. And Kiba…" Kurenai sighed. "Akamaru's going through…a phase and it's affecting Kiba as well."

"So I've heard. Do I need to speak to Tsume about it?"

"She knows. She says it's part of being an Inuzuka. She says it will pass soon enough."

"Well let me know if there's anything we can do medically."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Asuma chuckled. "There's no cure for puberty, ladies, but time. And sometimes not even that. I'm afraid we'll have to pass as well. We still haven't found a replacement for Shikamaru and Choji's still not fully recovered from his injuries."

Tsunade nodded. "I agree. I have been keeping an eye on his progress. I'll do some more research to see if I can come up with something else that might help."

"Thank-you Hokage-sama."

"I would like Shikamaru to go as a junior proctor," Tsunade continued. "It would be a good experience for him."

"I agree," Asuma said.

"Good, he can shadow Kotetsu. Now, Gai…"

"Team Gai has their youthful exuberance replenished and they are ready to go and shine!"

"Hmm, I'm sure that is true for Ten Ten and Neji, but how about Lee?"

"My young pupil is splendid, thanks to the Hokage-sama's skills and his own determination." Gai struck a pose. "It makes my heart race with joy to see him now, when before it seemed as though…as though…" he sniffled, and then recovered. "They are indeed ready, Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade regarded the jounin, as she weighed his confident assertion against Shizune's and her own assessment of the team.

"Yes, I agree. They are ready. You will…"

Gai pumped his fist. "Thank-you Hokage-sama! Thank-you so much! Team Gai will live up to your expectations! We will go and shine with our youthful energy and bring much glory to the village! I will go and tell them so we can start training right away!"

Tsunade opened her mouth to give further orders, but Gai was already gone. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Alright then. Asuma, Kurenai, thank-you for your time. You are dismissed…not you," she snapped before Kakashi could slip away. "You come with me."

Tsunade led Kakashi to the hospital and then into the teaching wing of the building. She led him to a classroom and stopped to observe at the door. Sakura was inside, and in what had become a familiar sight, she was hunched over a fish. Kakashi could not tell if this one was alive, dead, or somewhere in between, but his student was staring at it intently. As they watched, Sakura raised a hand and shifted her gaze to it. Kakashi could feel her gathering her will and focusing her chakra.

She always had remarkable focus, Kakashi thought, but it was only recently that she had gained the confidence to apply it without fear.

A fine line of blue chakra appeared along the edge of Sakura's hand and extending out from her fingers a few centimeters. She was making a chakra scalpel. It was a more advanced medical technique that could be used for a variety of procedures, from minimally invasive field surgery to delicate operations at the cellular level.

The edges of the blade wavered and then settled to an intense blue-white glow. Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few heartbeats, she opened her eyes and applied the blade to the fish's belly. The blade sank smoothly through scales and the tissue below, leaving only a faint mark to signify its passage. Everything was silent for almost a minute and then there was a loud crackle, followed by a loud exclamation.

"Oh no!" Sakura pulled her hand back. "Not again."

"Let's go," Tsunade said, and pushed the door open.

The smell of cooked fish wafted over to greet them.

Tsunade looked over Sakura's 'patient'. "Not bad. You've got to work on keeping your focus. Even once it's out of sight, you still have to visualize the blade as well as where it is going."

"Yes, Tsunade-sensei. It's just…how do you focus on both at once? When I concentrate on the blade I lose the image of the organs, and when I focus on the organs…" she gestured at the table. After a few moments of gazing at it, she realized that the Hokage was not alone. "Oh, good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi waved and smiled.

"Practice and lots of it, that's the best way," Tsunade said. "But now I need to talk to you both about the chunin exams."

"Are you putting her on another team?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Really? You think I'm ready?"

Sakura tried to imagine what team she could be on. She was sure that she could not replace Shikamaru, and Kurenai's team was complete. That left Gai's team. Sakura had to repress a small shudder.

"Hell, no! I'm _not_ wearing a green unitard," she muttered.

"What?" Tsunade said.

Sakura blushed. She had not realized that she had spoken out loud.

"Nothing Tsunade-sama. I am very honoured to be selected. Can I ask what team I will be on?"

"Yes…your new team mates. A long range specialist with immense power and a special weapons user with superior tactical skills. You will provide short range power and medical back up…not that they've ever needed it in the past. Like you they both attended the last exams. Their original third member was promoted, so they are short a person." Tsunade stopped, aware that Kakashi had gone tense. "It is a good fit. We are trying something different at these exams Sakura. The council and I have decided that you shall represent the Leaf on the first ever cross-village team at the next Chunin Exams. I know that you will do a good job." She regarded Kakashi a moment. "You knew about this I take it?"

Kakashi was looking out the window, his expression unreadable. "There have been rumours."

"So, it's not a complete shock then. I am expecting you to be professional about this. You will co-supervise the team with their teacher. It's going to be hard, but you must put it behind you. It is important for both villages to make this work."

"Who are they?" Sakura asked. "What do you mean Tsunade-sensei?"

Kakashi answered for her. "It will be him…Suna's Wind Sword. Hayate's killer. His students, the remaining Sand Siblings, are your new team mates."


End file.
